


but it's hard to be merry

by detailsofyourincompetence



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: F/F, Fluff, Silly Christmas fic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-24
Updated: 2020-12-24
Packaged: 2021-03-11 03:47:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,210
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28138674
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/detailsofyourincompetence/pseuds/detailsofyourincompetence
Summary: They've been sleeping together for eight months now. Still, suggesting to spend Christmas with the Charmings probably wasn't such a good idea.Set a some nebulous time after the first curse broke and Regina and Mary Margaret aren't yet... friends.(just a silly christmas-y fic)
Relationships: Evil Queen | Regina Mills/Emma Swan
Comments: 9
Kudos: 92
Collections: Swan Queen Advent Calendar Collection 2





	but it's hard to be merry

At first Regina thinks it's a joke.

They've been sleeping together for eight month now, and secretly, Regina has been wondering if somewhere along the way, their lust affair has turned into casual dating and is slowly becoming something more. It's the third night in a row that Emma is staying over at the mansion, and after Henry went to bed, Regina and Emma quietly moved from the living room to Regina's bedroom, sneaking slow, languid kisses along the way.

Now, it's almost midnight. They are stretched out on top of the covers, legs tangled together, and Regina is slowly drifting off to sleep when Emma says, "Maybe we should spend Christmas together." She lets out a slow breath, waits for Regina to react, and when she doesn't, Emma adds, "Mary Margaret invited me over for dinner, and I've been thinking you and Henry could join us, you know, as…"

Maybe, probably, she really shouldn't, but at the idea of spending Christmas Day with Snow White and her insufferable husband Regina can't help but let out an undignified snort of laughter.

The way Emma's face falls tells her that this, indeed, wasn't a joke.

***

They don't talk about it afterwards, but it's the first time that Emma doesn't insist Regina be the little spoon.

***

When Regina wakes up the next morning, the bed beside her is empty. There's a cup of coffee on her bedside table, and the smell of bacon and more coffee is drifting up from downstairs. Regina reluctantly pulls on her favorite silky bathrobe, takes a sip from the coffee and silently walks down the stairs.

She stops on the last step when she hears muffled voices from the kitchen.

"I tried, okay, kid? It's just, you know, your mom and Mary Margaret have a… complicated past, and that's not something that will change just because you think it should. Things like that take time."

Regina hears something that sounds suspiciously like someone angrily opening and closing drawers to let off some steam, before Henry lets out a heartbreaking sigh. "I just thought that things would be different now that you and mom are…"

Emma interrupts him. "Kid, no. What's going on between your mom and me is going on between only your mom and me. It doesn't have to change anything." She sighs, sounding a lot like Henry did before. "Give it some time, okay?"

***

Surprisingly, Emma doesn't go back to her own apartment that night.

She doesn't wrap herself around Regina like she usually does, either, but she is curled up next to her, a warm hand resting on Regina's bare stomach.

"I just wanted to spend the holidays with my family," Emma whispers when she thinks that Regina has fallen asleep, "and for some reason, I've started to think that includes you."

***

They don't talk about those holidays for weeks after that.

***

Emma thinks it's a joke at first.

A cruel joke, for sure, but she wouldn't put it past Regina to revert to cruelty every now and then.

It's a Wednesday, and while they had agreed, once months ago, that Emma really shouldn't stay over during the week, Emma has last been to her apartment on Friday, only to pick up a new change of clothes and check her mail. Tonight, they are once again wrapped around each other in Regina's bed, and every now and then, Regina stretches her legs languidly, revelling in the slight soreness their earlier activities left in her muscles.

"This doesn't mean anything," Regina starts, and continues to let her fingers drift over Emma's back, "but I thought that Henry and I really could join you and the Charmings on Christmas."

Emma can barely keep herself from moving from her comfortable position. "This doesn't mean anything, huh?" she asks, and when Regina only hums affirmatively, she places a soft kiss on Regina's naked chest. "Okay. I'll ask Mary Margaret."

It's not a joke, Emma realizes, but she feels laughter bubbling up inside her nonetheless.

***

Mary Margaret thinks it's a joke at first.

"You really want Regina to spend Christmas with us?" she asks skeptically. Emma only nods, her face completely blank, and Mary Margaret thinks that Charming shouldn't be as calm as he appears to be. "Just… because?"

Emma nods again. "Because she is Henry's mother, and they always spent Christmas together. But it could also be my first Christmas with Henry and… with you. So I want Regina to come over for dinner as well." She barely stumbles over her own words, and Charming continues to calmly prepare tea, and Mary Margaret thinks she is slowly losing her mind.

***

She isn't, really. Losing her mind, that is.

Mary Margaret just needs a few days to wrap her mind around the idea that Regina is coming to her apartment and not trying to kill her.

Okay, so Regina reportedly is through her trying-to-kill-her phase, but Mary Margaret only feels better when Charming lets slip that Regina and Emma might be dating.

Love always wins, Mary Margaret thinks.

***

Okay, so maybe she shouldn't have suggested it in the first place, Emma thinks once they are all seated around Mary Margaret's dining table, a huge Christmas tree sparkling in the corner.

Henry keeps smirking to himself while surreptitiously shoving Regina's artfully decorated gingerbread cookies in his mouth. 

Mary Margaret keeps glancing from Regina to Emma and back again, barely suppressing her wide smile.

Regina keeps rolling her eyes, every once in a while releasing a long suffering sigh. "Don't," she snaps whenever Mary Margaret moves too close, "don't you dare say a word."

David seems to be the only one unfathomed by the whole ordeal. "Give them some time, kiddo," he says after dinner, placing a fatherly arm around Emma's shoulders. "They'll get used to this again."

Emma grimaces when Regina blows an exaggerated kiss her way while Mary Margaret beams at the two of them.

She really shouldn't have suggested this in the first place.

***

They've barely made it out of the apartment before Regina pushes her against the wall of the hallway, placing a bruising kiss on her lips. "You owe me," she whispers, kissing her way from Emma's mouth to her ear. "You owe me," she repeats before nibbling on Emma's earlobe. "I don't go to hell for just anyone, and this day clearly was hell."

Emma suppresses a moan when Regina steps back just before Mary Margaret, Henry and David appear in the door.

"Henry, why don't you go ahead to the car? I want to thank your grandparents for this truly special day," Regina says, smiling saccharinely. Henry nods, cheeks tinged with red, and wraps both Mary Margaret and David in a tight hug before almost jumping down the stairs.

Regina waits until she hears the door close behind him. She turns to Mary Margaret, her smile becoming salacious. "Well, like I said, thank you, Snow, this has been such a lovely time. But now I intend to spend the rest of the holidays with your daughter… with much more pleasant activities."

Emma barely has time to blush ferociously before Regina pulls her down the stairs.

***

So. Maybe Emma really does owe Regina, and she takes her sweet time collecting.

Not that Emma is complaining.

**Author's Note:**

> This became a bit sillier than I intended in the beginning, but my heart can't handle anything too heavy at the moment. I hope you enjoyed this a little. ;) Stay safe and healthy, enjooy swanqueen and wear your mask, people. We'll get through this!
> 
> Also, a huge THANK YOU to the mods of SQACC2. You've been truly understanding and helpful. Thank you for giving us something to look forward to!


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